A security source has confirmed that the reinstatement of Mudashiru Obasa as the speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly on Thursday, February 27, was facilitated by the Nigerian government.
Naturenex recalled that Obasa was removed from office by a two-thirds majority of the members of the house when he was on holiday in the United States. The development ended his decade-long hold on the office.
Why Lagos lawmakers are against Obasa
According to the members, Obasa’s tenure was full of high-handedness and financial misappropriation. His deputy, Mojisola Meranda, was subsequently elected as the new speaker of the assembly.
However, Obasa rejected his impeachment, citing a lack of due process by the legislative assembly. He went ahead and challenged the action in court.
The house, which sat last on February 13, passed a vote of confidence in Meranda, who was said to be under pressure from some All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders to resign and indefinitely adjourn the plenary.
Obasa take over at the Lagos assembly
Obasa led a crowd of supporters to the assembly complex on Thursday, February 27, and announced that he had reclaimed his position as speaker of the House. He later presided over the plenary, which was attended by four members of the House.
The reinstated speaker’s return started earlier in the day, when the security authorities withdrew Meranda’s security details and restored Obasa’s.
According to Premium Times, a top security official revealed that the federal government authorised the development. He said the House was not in session when the impeachment happened and only a legitimate speaker can convey the House.
The source said, “Obasa was not properly impeached as Speaker, so his removal is illegal.” He explained the view of the federal government on the matter was that the impeachment was considered illegal.
Why FG reinstated Obasa as speaker
He stressed that Obasa was not allowed to defend himself in the criminal allegation levelled against him, which led to his impeachment.
The source further commented that the House was not in session, when Obasa was impeached. He noted that though the case is in court, the federal government did not have to wait for the court to make a pronouncement before taking action against what it considered a violation of the law. His statement reads:
There have been speculations that President Bola Tinubu was angry about the impeachment of Obasa because the lawmakers did not consult the leaders of the party before they made the move.
